Polish defence minister to visit India

As India looks around globally for partners in the realm of military hardware, Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich will visit New Delhi on Tuesday morning to explore possibilities of tie-ups with Public Sector Undertakings for joint production.

Klich, who will be here on a three-day visit, will meet the chiefs of defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) here, apart from meeting his counterpart AK Antony, to discuss joint business ventures for the future, defence ministry sources said in New Delhi Monday.

Among the DPSUs that would be represented in the meetings would be blue-chip Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Electronics, Bharat Earth Movers and the Ordnance Factories Board.

These meetings come close after the fourth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) held here from October 15 to 17 when the two sides agreed to consolidate cooperation in defence industry and specialised training of their armed forces.

The India-Poland JWG on Defence Cooperation was set-up with the signing of an agreement on Defence Cooperation in February 2003 during the visit of Polish Prime Minister to India.

The first meeting of the JWG was held in April 2006. India has shared with the former Soviet-bloc ally a long tradition of friendship and cooperation in various fields including Defence Production and Supplies.

The Polish Defence Minister will also visit a Para Brigade of the Indian Army at Agra on Wednesday before leaving for Vietnam early on Thursday morning.